


Wanderlust

by IseliaDragonwill



Series: Where There Is Light [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blood and Injury, Love Confessions, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-28 04:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16234310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IseliaDragonwill/pseuds/IseliaDragonwill
Summary: For Gilgardyn week day 1: Gilgamesh is badly wounded in battle with no time for healing so Ardyn is forced to take the offensive.A battle goes awry, forcing Gilgamesh to confront more than just injury.





	Wanderlust

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HisGlasses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HisGlasses/gifts).



> Phew okay, we made it. This is part of a collab that I did with the lovely @HisGlasses! She did a comic that goes along with the fic and can be found [this comic](https://his-pair-of-spare-glasses.tumblr.com/post/178856377681/gilgardyn-week-day-1-gilgamesh-is-badly-wounded>here</a>!%0A%0AThe%20opening%20was%20inspired%20by%20<a%20href=) by @mystichealeronline on tumblr! It made my heart absolutely melt. 
> 
> Comments/kudos loved <3

When Gilgamesh had taken up the mantle of Shield to the future King of Light, he had done so with the knowledge that he would be required to one day lay his life on the line to safeguard his liege. He had accepted it without a second thought, reasoning that a warrior’s death was worth more in pursuit of a cause worth fighting for than the greed of a hired mercenary. To say that Ardyn Izunia would be the end of him would have been more than accurate, but it was what came in the wake of that moment that had been truly unexpected. 

It had started when Gilgamesh had awoken one morning to find Ardyn’s bedroll empty and cold. He would do this on occasion, despite the inevitable lecture when he returned about wandering off without adequate protection. Every time he would laugh it off and tell Gilgamesh that he simply worried too much, that he could fend for himself if he ran into any trouble. While he was certainly no stranger to combat, his safety was still Gilgamesh’s responsibility and one he took seriously, which made Ardyn’s unattended excursions a near-constant source of bickering between the two of them. 

After searching for what felt like hours–though it couldn’t have been much more than one, time stretching in the face of worry– Gilgamesh came upon a small copse near their campsite that he had missed earlier. Pushing aside the branches, he called out Ardyn’s name, only to have his voice drowned out by the sounds of hissing steam and water splashing off of beaten rocks. 

That he went unheard might have been a blessing in disguise.

All he could do was stare, his heart skipping more than a few beats. Standing there in the hot spring–skin flushed from heat, streams of water trickling over lines of muscle–was Ardyn. With his eyes closed and lips slightly parted, hands running through his sun-kissed hair, he looked ever the picture of something divine, something that Gilgamesh felt unworthy to even think of laying his eyes upon. Yet when he thought to look away, some invisible tether kept him rooted there, following the lines of Ardyn’s body as a desire stronger than any he ever felt urged him to step forward, take the man into his arms and never let him go.

But then Ardyn looked in his direction, breaking the spell and sending Gilgamesh into hiding behind the foliage. It didn’t seem like he had been noticed, or so he hoped. Running his hand down his face, he sighed. For once, he went against his sense of duty and left Ardyn by himself, heading back to camp too conflicted by his own emotions to stay there any longer. When he returned, he splashed cold water on his face from a nearby stream, laid back down on his bedroll and went to sleep, hoping to put the events of that morning behind him.

Since that day, Gilgamesh’s feelings towards Ardyn had not only intensified, but the sense of duty and protectiveness that had once held dominion was now accompanied by a lingering desire to simply be close to him. It was unlike anything he had experienced before. Until that point, the way of the sword had been enough to sustain him, to give him purpose. Now he found himself wanting more than just Ardyn’s safety, but his smile, his laughter, his warmth on cold nights under moonlit skies... 

It wouldn’t do. It couldn’t. Whether he liked it or not, he was a commoner–a hired mercenary in service of the Crown. Ardyn was from a noble line and would be a king someday. That aside, pursuing his charge would be anything but wise, an unwelcome cloud on his objectivity. The only option was to suppress his burgeoning attraction; to feign indifference to every smile, every laugh that tugged at his heart. 

Easier said than done.

Weeks of silent pining and tortured nights finally culminated in the one thing that Gilgamesh had feared most–a lapse in judgment. They had wandered too close to a roosting zu while Gilgamesh had been listening to Ardyn talk about their plans for the coming days. In truth, he had only been half listening, his mind occupied with how the sunlight made Ardyn’s burgundy locks look aflame in the midday sun. The next thing he knew, a deafening screech echoed around them, leaving him no time to draw his weapon against the coming attack.

“Ardyn, get down!” He shouted, unable to conceal the panic in his voice. 

As the zu descended from the sky, Gilgamesh rushed forward and pushed Ardyn back, knocking him on his rear. Left with no time to defend himself, he could only cross his arms in front of his face, which did little against the large talons that raked over his shoulders and head, slicing lines of red through his flesh. 

Careless. 

He spun around to look at Ardyn, who sat wide-eyed on the ground. “You must get out of here. Don’t worry about me.” Seeing the zu readying another dive, Gilgamesh planted his foot in the center of Ardyn’s chest and kicked him back, nearly knocking himself off balance in the process. If he couldn’t protect him, the least he could do was to buy enough time for Ardyn to get to safety. “Go! Now!”

The zu screeched once more, its massive form blocking out the sun as it descended. Everything after that was a blur of feathers, talons, and blood. When he finally collapsed in the dirt, wounded and spent, his only wish was that Ardyn was somehow safe. Strange, he thought, that in the end his desires weren’t motivated by the protection of a king, but of a smile.

 

“...il…”

That voice. Where had he heard that voice before?

“Gil! ...ease d–...ve me!”

Had death come for him at last? As Gilgamesh fought to open his eyes one last time, he was welcomed by a familiar golden light, framing waves of sparkling red. It was often said that people would see the thing they wished for most before they passed. Perhaps there was some truth to that legend after all.

“I...n’t lose...Gil ple…”

With the last of his strength, he reached up to trace the lips of the man before him with a bloodstained thumb. “Ardyn? ...you’re beautiful…”

His hand fell away and the world went dark.

 

Of all the things he had heard death to be, awakening from a deep sleep to the crackle of wood from a burning fire was not one of them. Gilgamesh wondered at how heavy his body felt and why the ground beneath him was so cold. Wincing from the pain, he turned towards the heat of the flames, listening as a light breeze whistled through the trees above him, carrying with it the familiar sounds of night–crickets chirping, owls, Ardyn’s breathing…

Ardyn? No, Ardyn couldn’t be here. If he was, it meant Gilgamesh had failed to save him after all, making his death utterly meaningless. He jolted upright and groaned, holding his head in a futile effort to stave off the dizziness that washed over him. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Gil.” 

Terror seized his heart. Astrals, no. Anything but this. “Ardyn?” He forced his eyes open, fearing what may lay before him. To his surprise, Ardyn was sitting at the campfire just like any other night, stirring something in a large pot over the flame. Aside from a few bloodied bandages on his face and hands, he looked none the worse for wear. A relief, but one that only brought more questions than answers. 

“I must insist you lay down. You almost died, you know.” Ardyn chided, his voice oddly gentle as he got to his feet and moved to sit next to Gilgamesh. 

To have him close was a comfort he didn’t think possible, but one he allowed himself to indulge in for now, even if he felt unworthy of it in more ways than he could express. “Please forgive me. I was not as attentive as I should have been. It’s my fault you were injured.” 

“And to think, I was happy just to be alive. But if you are truly seeking forgiveness, perhaps we can find a way for you to make it up to me, hm? Answer me something, Gil.” He cocked his head as something unnamed and devious danced through amber eyes and kept Gilgamesh pinned under their gaze. “Why is it so important that you protect me?”

It wasn’t the question he had expected. The fact that the answer was so obvious left Gilgamesh wondering at what he could possibly mean by asking. “You are to be king one day, Ardyn. That alone is reason to ensure you stay safe.”

“Is that all?” 

He hesitated. “Your mercy towards the afflicted is noble. For all that suffer, you are there to bring the light back into their lives. To serve you to this end is an honor. There is no cause more worthy of my sword or my life.”

“I can think of one.” Ardyn crawled on Gilgamesh’s lap, taking care not to put pressure on his wounds, and smoothed over his scarred cheek with his thumb, letting his lips linger so close that Gilgamesh ached to know how soft they might feel on his own. “Next time you decide to fall in love with me, do try just saying so. You’re terrible at hiding it and I’d prefer not to get that close to losing you again.” Though his tone strived to sound playful, there was a note of heartache that Ardyn couldn’t hide and Gilgamesh couldn’t ignore.

“Love...might be too strong of a word.” Amethyst eyes flicked to the side. He couldn’t believe his affections had been that transparent all along, the thought bringing a dull heat to his cheeks.

Ardyn laughed. “Oh come now, no man thinks to call another man beautiful as he lies on his deathbed. Do you take me for a fool, Gil?” 

“Still...we can’t.”

“But I say we can. Or shall I have you arrested for treason?” 

Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. He laughed under his breath, scarcely able to believe the absurdity of it all. “You’re not king yet, Ardyn.” 

His words were dismissed with a wave of Ardyn’s hand. “Be that as it may...Gil, I want you to be at my side...as more than just my Shield. Will you allow it?”

The answer was that Gilgamesh wanted nothing more, but still, he was wary. The road ahead was already paved in hardships. Then again, often the best things in life were worth fighting for and when had anything involving Ardyn ever been easy? 

“I’ll consider it if you make me a promise.”

“Go on.”

He wrapped his arms around Ardyn’s waist, his chin resting atop a nest of auburn hair. “Stop wandering off without me.” 

“This again?” Ardyn let out a soft sigh. Under the light of the moon, he wrapped his arms around Gilgamesh’s neck, pulling him closer as long fingers tangled in his hair. “Fine...from now on, I will only wander with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://iseliadragonwill.tumblr.com) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/FallenIsel)!


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